Ohana means Family
by Nico Di Angelo123
Summary: "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." - Lilo and Stitch. A lot of people see Nico as the cold, scary son of Hades who can scare monsters off with a glare. But to the people who really know him, he is actually the sixteen year old boy from the 1940's who is still trying to catch up with modern day society. However, he wont be alone on this journey.
1. Technological Confusion

**Chapter 1: Technological Confusion**

Radios were a thing of the past. This was something that Nico had learned quite quickly as Leo attempted (slightly in vain) to catch him up with modern technology and to teach him about the new wonders of the world. Whatever happened to turning on the radio to listen to the game? Saving up to go out to the movies to see the latest flick?

These things were dead.

Nico was slowly beginning to come to the conclusion that the wonders of yesteryear had died long ago and many new revelations about human entertainment had cropped up during his stay at the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Now if one wanted to know who was winning the baseball game all they had to do was log onto a computer and read the scores on a 'website'. If you wanted to watch a movie you could do so on another one of these 'websites' and stay at home for free (though he wasn't sure about the legality of this method, it seemed to be the popular method amongst the people of the day). Anything that he would have had to leave the house for before was easily accessed via the tiny computers that came in more shapes and sizes than he could comprehend. It seemed that the world had taken leaps and bounds ahead of him and all he could muster was a slow trot to try to keep up.

When Leo had dragged Nico to Bunker 9 and handed him what Leo called a 'laptop' (and then blabbering about how it was Hephaestus made so monsters wouldn't be able to detect it) Nico couldn't begin to comprehend what was in his hands, let alone open it. He had held it gingerly, it was very thin and seemed like one flick of a wrist would be all it took to break it. After Leo rolled his eyes, exaggerated a sigh and muttered something along the lines of 'there goes my afternoon' he sat in the chair next to Nico and patiently taught him the basics of the machine.

"You have to start by opening it like this," Leo said as he slowly opened the laptop, illuminating the screen in the process before placing the machine into the Ghost King's lap.

Nico flinched and subconsciously leaned away from the machine that Leo dropped into his lap when the screen glowed a bright blue mellowing out into a screen with a 3D hammer on it that kept going around in circles, underneath the spinning hammer were the words 'Hephaestus Entertainment' and underneath that was a small white box that said 'Name...'. He relaxed slightly, but the fact that such a small device could illuminate so brightly was quite unnerving to him.

"Alright, now you're going to have to use the keyboard, the part below the screen with the lettered buttons on it, and the mouse to type your name in that box below the logo. Yes, the track pad is the part that you use to move the mouse." When Nico shot Leo a look of confusion and slight horror, Leo quickly replied. "It's just a name for the arrow on the screen. No animals were hurt in the process of making this laptop."

Nico sighed in relief when Leo infromed him that the mouse was just jargon for the miniscule arrow on the screen. He hadn't been worried about animal abuse, but the term had thrown him off and simply made the ordeal even more confusing.

"Alright so I just use my finger here, and the mouse should..." he muttered as he used his fingers on the track pad, "MOVE! Gods, that is amazing. How is it moving at the same time that I am?" Nico questioned in amazement as he fiddled with his finger on the track pad, watching as the mouse moved on the screen as well.

Leo snapped his fingers to grab Nico's attention, "OK, let's get back on track. Now move the arrow to the box and tap once. There you go. Now type your name with the keys."

Nico looked down and furrowed his brow at the keys. It should have been simple enough, the keys letters were in Greek afterall, but many of the keys had multiple symbols on them and many of them were just gibberish to him. He didn't want to disappoint Leo this time with his fascination with the technology, so he just focused on using the letter keys. Using only one index finger, he was using his other hand to cradle the laptop to prevent it from falling out of his lap, he slowly pecked out his first name into the field. He looked up to Leo for further instructions.

"Good. It took you forever, but you got it right on your first try. Now put your last name, just type it right away with no spaces." Leo said as he watched Nico begin to type again.

Nico could do this, it wasn't too bad. Heck, he was doing just fine. He finished off his last name with two index fingers this time, adding to his repertoire of skills with every click of the keyboard.

"Now hit the enter button," when Nico motioned to the button clearly labelled enter, Leo rolled his eyes and confirmed that yes, he meant the one that had the word 'enter' on it.

Nico got excited and gave the key a good tap to complete the task, but the laptop went careening off his lap. Between releasing his cradling to type with two hands and a slightly forceful poke to the key, he had sent the laptop screaming towards the ground where it landed and put a large crack in the screen. Nico grabbed it and wiped at it with his sleeve, trying to reverse the damage he had done.

"Leo, I'm so sorry, this must have cost a fortune. I will repay you for it right away," Nico's voice rose with panic as he looked up to his technology mentor with sorrow filled eyes.

"Don't worry about it, it barely cost anything and it was an outdated model anyways. Let me grab you a new one and you can start again." Leo smirked as he moved to go retrieve another laptop from the well-stocked cupboard of Bunker Nine.

Nico accepted it with a nod and a renewed vigour. He had to get it right this time without breaking another one.

When the Ghost King turned his head to the new computer to retry logging in, Leo cracked a small, but genuine, smile. He was proud of Nico for taking an interest in technology and for not shying away from the foreign device, unlike how Hazel seems to do, though he would never tell Nico that.

The rest of the afternoon was a flurry of sighs and eyerolls from Leo and more than a few muted cusses from Nico as the two Demigods worked to conquer one of the Prince of Deaths few weaknesses: technological confusion.

 **I think I should explain something:**

 **1\. Nico's age has been changed from 14 to 16.**

 **2\. This takes place after the Giant War.**

 **3\. Nico is NOT gay. I don't have anything against homosexuals, I just find it awkward trying to write a slash fic and I wouldn't be able to make it any good. So if there is going to be any romance in this story, its going to be male/female.**


	2. The Café Floozy

**Chapter 2: The Café Floozy**

"Wow, I've never seen Christmas lights like this before," Nico mumbles, staring out the window to the illuminated trees and light poles surrounding them. "I mean, I saw a couple of houses with them when I was growing up but nothing like this."

Annabeth smiles slightly and takes a sip of her coffee. "They're something alright," she allows, glancing out the window as well and following Nico's line of sight. It really was a beautiful sight, all the trees sparkling with thousands of tiny glittering lights. A light dusting of snow covered the sidewalks and streets beneath the trees, shimmering ethereally from the glow of the white lights wrapped around the branches. People walked past the windows in front of them, bundled in thick coats and wool hats, heads ducked slightly against the bitterly cold wind.

It reminds Annabeth of the winters of her childhood and the few happy memories she had of her youth. She would never admit to being sentimental about something as silly as snow and Christmas lights. It was childish and immature and she was a daughter of Athena and she did not get all emotional and reminiscent about the way the snow reflected off the trees or how the feeling of snow flurries against her cheeks made her smile just a bit every time. Nope, the reason she brought them both to this café that happened to have a perfect view of the light-adorned trees across the street was because Nico had wanted to see the lights. That was the only reason and that was the only one she would admit to.

She needed to drop off a package at a post office in New York and Nico had offered to shadow travel her there from camp. It was his first Christmas with family and friends since he was taken out of the Lotus Hotel and Casino and he wanted to see the city lit up for the holidays. Annabeth obliged because it had been a good excuse to get out of the camp for a few hours and because there was honestly very little she could deny Nico when he gave her the puppy eyes, even at sixteen his puppy eyes have not disappeared. The worst part about it is that he probably doesn't even know he's doing it most of the time; he's not aware of the kind of great and terrible power those eyes have on anyone within a block's radius really: big brown eyes, a few blinks, and a very slight tilt of his head and Annabeth (and just about everyone in both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter) would be willing to conquer Olympus if Nico brought it up. Damn him.

There's another reason Annabeth is so lenient with Nico and its something she's willing to deny to her dying day. Percy knows and she's pretty sure the rest of the Seven have their suspicion but they're all smart enough to keep it to themselves. Annabeth had unofficially adopted Nico as a surrogate younger brother after the Second Giant War and had made it her personal mission to mother the hell out of him when she thought no one was looking. Granted, Nico never asked for much but when he did she was much more indulgent with him than she was with everyone else (even Percy, but that's just so she can grate on his nerves a little). It would bother her a lot more if Nico didn't look so damn happy right now.

There's an expression of genuine contentment in his eyes right now, one that replaces the persistent look of lingering sadness and regret that Nico had carried around with him for the past four years after his sister died. It had taken a long time for him to accept the fact that, while his old life was gone, he had a new one here, with all of them, and they were all willing to accept him into the ragtag family the seven had formed in the face of battle. For the first time in a long time, Nico looks genuinly happy and at peace with the world and Annabeth feels the slightest sense of elation and accomplishment at being the one to have brought that expresson to his face.

The door swings open behind her, bringing in a blustering, snow-flurried wind with a bitter bite behind it. The cold is enough to snap Annabeth out of her thooughts and she shivers before she can stop herself. She hopes it will go unnoticed but her wish goes unanswered as Nico looks at her and frowns in concern. He plucks his aviators jacket off the back of the chair and offers it to her even though Annabeth is still bundled in her own coat. Annabeth can't quite stop the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth; leave it to Nico to be the perpetual gentleman.

"I'm alright," she assures him, waving his offered jacket away as politely as she can.

"I could switch seats with you," Nico offers instead, the concerned frown still on his face, replacing his earlier expression of contentment.

Annabeth just shakes her head. "Nico, I'm fine, really. I was just surprised, that's all." Had it been anyone else, Annabeth would have been annoyed. She wasn't some pining damsel in distress nor was she unable to take care of herself; she's been defending herself from monsters since she was seven and she couldn't remember the last time she had actually asked for help from anyone. But this was Nico; he didn't do things because he thought she would go on a date with him and/or sleep with him and he didn't do them because he was scared of her, he did them because she was his friend and he cared about her. It was a startling realisation the first time around; that Nico Di Angelo of all people was actually concerned for her. He used to always be so rude and cold toward, well, everyone. But after the Giant War, he had opened up a bit more, but not exactly to the whole camp, more like a select few (her, the rest of the Seven, Reyna, and a few more) and these select number of people were able to convince him to give people a chance and not immediately brush a person who is trying to be your friend off. And when you do gain his trust, you find out that he actually does have manners, manners that were drilled into him in the 1940s. He had actually described Thalia as a 'beautiful dame' once. Annabeth can remember to this day the massive blush that covered Thalia's cheeks at Nico's innocent comment and the very hard punch to the arm the bewildered son of Hades received because of it.

Nico still looks bothered and fretful so Annabeth decided its time to change the subject to something that doesn't involve her being cold. "Have you ever been ice skating, Nico?"

The younger teen thinks for a second before shaking his head. "No, I always wanted to learn but I never had the chance. I was sick a lot as a kid so my mother never really allowed me to spend that much time outside when it was cold."

Annabeth is about to respond when a young woman, possibly seventeen, appears next to their table. She smiles apologetically, her eyes flickering between Annabeth and Nico. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation but do either of you have a cell phone I could borrow? I'm supposed to be meeting someone here and I left my phone at home."

The girl seems nice enough but there's something about her that sets Annabeth's nerves on edge. She's wearing way too much makeup, her perfume is far too strong, and she's standing a bit too close to Nico for Annabeth's liking. One hand clenches just a tiny bit against her leg underneath the table. She isn't a monster, that much is obvious. No, if Annabeth is correct in her evaluation of this girl, she is something far worse.

Nico seems to recover from the intrusion first and nods at the girls request. "Yeah, of course. Here, you can use mine," he says, reaching into his pocket and retrieving his Hephaestus made cell phone. He hands it to the girl with a friendly smile.

"Thank you so much!" The girl gushes, smiling brightly at Nico and batting her eyelashes just slightly. Annabeth clenches her teeth.

The girl steps away from the table and Nico returns his attention to their previous conversation. "How about you? Did you go ice skating a lot when you were younger?"

It takes Annabeth about two seconds longer to recover from the girl's interruption than it normally does. She shakes her head slightly and clears her throat. "Uh, yeah once. While I was on the run with Thalia and Luke. Thalia taught me how when we had a break of monsters running after us. There was this frozen pond and-"

The girl returns to the side of their table a few seconds later and smiles sheepishly, looking directly at Nico. "Looks like I'm being stood up," she comments in what would normally come off as an indifferent, slightly resigned tone. Annabeth isn't fooled; she feels her jaw clench again. "Oh well, thanks for letting me use your phone," The girl says, handing Nico back his phone with an over-exaggerated sigh.

The bait works and Nico frowns. "I'm sorry to hear that. You could join us for a moment if you'd like." Annabeth was really starting to regret convincing Nico into giving people a chance instead of immediately acting cold toward them.

The girl blinks innocently, her heavily lined eyes fluttering like she's surprised by the offer. "That's so nice of you but I couldn't. I've already interrupted your date once and-"

"Its not a date," Annabeth answers automatically before she can stop herself. It had become commonplace for her to deny any ties to a supposed relationship almost instantly after she had started dating Percy and the words were out before she realised she'd said them. She corrects herself easily and forces on a smile that she hopes comes across as natural. "Just coffee between friends."

The girl hesitates, sizing Annabeth up from where she's standing. Annabeth eyes her right back, not at all fooled by the sweet and innocent charade the girl is attempting to put on. Her makeup is too dramatic, her bleach-blond hair curled in a way that would be alluring to any man who laid eyes on her. Her clothing is hidden beneath her coat but the belt is cinched tight at the waist to give her the perfect hourglass figure. She came here for the express purpose of finding a man to take her home and Annabeth knows it.

Nico apparently doesn't see anything wrong with the situation and he pulls out the chair beside him as an invitation. "Please, join us. The more the merrier, right?"

Annabeth smiles at the girl like a cobra. "Right."

Th girl's eyes flicker away from her for a second and she grins brightly at Nico. "You're so sweet to let me join you. Thank you so much."

"Our pleasure," Nico says, giving her a friendly smile in response. "I'm Nico and this is Annabeth."

The girl smiles warmly at him. "Its nice to meet you both, my name is Brandy."

Gods of Olympus, even the girl's _name_ is enough to set Annabeth on edge! Brandy? Seriously? Ugh!

"So what do you guys do?" Brandy asks, her eyes darting between Annabeth and Nico. Her expression makes it clear that she could really care less whether Annabeth was here or not, all she's interested in is Nico.

"Uh..." Nico seems momentarily flustered by the question, 'I am the Ghost King and Prince of Death, I sort out the souls in the Underworld and I get paid in very large gold coins' wasn't the best answer. He recovers easily enough though. "I finished school not that long ago. I'm in between jobs right now. Just laying low until the next one comes by, you know?"

Brandy nods and looks at Annabeth. "How about you?"

Annabeth gives her a sweet smile that might as well be laced with razorblades. "I go to a University in California." Camp Jupiter. "I'm hoping to become an architect."

Brandy nods again and gives a small girlish smile when she realises its her turn to speak. "Well, I'm hoping to become an actress and a model. I came here a few years ago looking for work and have been doing a few odd jobs here and there ever since." She smiles at Nico again. "I guess you could say I'm in between jobs as well."

The conversation drifts between Nico and Brandy for a few more minutes and she goes on to tell him all her various successes and failures in the world of modelling and acting. Annabeth is barely listening; Brandy's words all kind of run together and it sounds like a gnat buzzing in her ear after a while. She responds and speaks when she feels its necessary, smiling here and chuckling there to make it seem like she is engaged in the conversation even though she's not.

What she's really doing is watching; she watches the girl's body language and hand gestures, the way she leans in toward Nico when she speaks and how her entire body is angled toward him. Occasionally, she'll burst out laughing at something Nico said, tossing her head back and exposing her throat. As the conversation wears on, she becomes more comfortable and even goes so far as to lightly touch Nico's hand or arm while she's speaking, using his name in certain parts of her sentences and never taking her eyes off him. Its body language and seduction 101; the Aphrodite cabin had literally written a book about everything there is to know and she had actually read it, and right now she was thankful that Silena had forced her to read it (she's loathe to say it, but at some point she was getting a little desperate for Percy to notice her, so it didn't take that much persuasion to get her to read the damn thing). Every gesture, every expression, every smile, screams "take me home!" and she's been laying it on as thick as she can.

Nico, however, is as oblivious to all of it as any other child of the Big Three. He'd once told Annabeth that women never paid him much attention before he started hanging around at the camps and she supposes he's still a little out of his element in that regard to be able to recognise when a girl was actively trying to get in his pants. He seems to be genuinly interested in the conversation and completely oblivious to the fact that this girl has probably undressed him with her eyes at least six times by now. Nico is looking at Brandy and listening carefully to her words, Brandy is eyeing him like a piece of man-candy, and Annabeth is watching her like she's trying to determine the quickest and easiest way to murder her with a teaspoon and pillage her pockets before anyone notices.

The inevitable comes a few seconds later. Brandy leans in just a bit too close, gestures a bit too largely with one hand, and knocks Nico's coffee cup off the table and into his lap. Scalding hot coffee splashes over his shirt and jeans and he jerks back with a surprised yelp, standing quickly.

Brandy gasps in surprise and stands as well. "I'm so sorry! Are you alright? I didn't know the cup was that close to the edge of the table! God, I'm so sorry!"

Nico, though covered in coffee, appears otherwise relatively unharmed and smiles softly, shaking hs head. "No, its okay. Really. It was my own fault, I probably should have moved that cup back in the first place."

"Are you sure? Geez, I'm really sorry. I'll pay for your dry cleaning," Brandy rambles on, fluttering around the table looking for napkins. Annabeth just stands calmly, walking around to the other side of the table and picking up the fallen coffee mug from the floor.

"Its okay, really," Nico assures them both, looking down at the coffee stain on his shirt and jeans. "I'm pretty sure I can get it out with some water. I'll be right back." He gives them both a friendly smile before disappearing off in the direction of the restrooms.

Annabeth has already reclaimed her seat by the door and is eyeing Brandy evenly from across the table. The girl watches Nico go, obviously oggling the absolute hell out of him when his back is turned. She only sits back down when he disappears into the hallway leading to the restrooms.

A brief silence passes between them, Annabeth calmly sipping her coffee and Brandy fidgeting rather nervously across from her. Finally, when the silence becomes too much to take, Brandy speaks up. "He's really great, huh?"

"Mmhm." Annabeth agrees quietly behind the rim of her coffee mug before setting it back down on the table.

Brandy hesitates for a second longer before continuing. "Do you think I could ask him for his number-"

"No."

The girl frowns in surprise and blinks. "Look, I just thinks he's nice and all and-"

"No."

Brandy frowns again, a slighted expression on her face. "Well don't you think its his decision to-"

"No."

Angry now, Brandy crosses her arms over her chest and levels a glare at Annabeth. "Geez, what's your problem?"

"My problem is you," Annabeth states simply, fixing Brandy with a glare of equal proportions.

"Me? What-"

"I know what your doing and I'm telling you right now its not going to work."

"What do you mean you know what I'm-"

"You waltz in here with some sob story about being stood up or just getting out of a bad breakup, set your eyes on the hottest guy in the room and proceed to flirt and fawn all over him for the rest of the night until he agrees to take you home." Brandy opens her mouth to say something but Annabeth cuts her off with another glare. "Then you hang around for a few days, getting him to spend all his time and, not to mention, money, on you until you get bored and traipse away for your next conquest. You walk away with everything and leave him with nothing. Sound about right, princess?"

Brandy's eyes narrow sharply. "How dare you-"

"Please spare me your indignation," Annabeth counters, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I know people who have been playing this game for longer than you've been alive and they have mastered there technique so its not nearly as blatant and obvious as yours. You're just a silly little girl who's flirting like you're still back in high school. Though I will give credit for trying this at a café and not going to a bar like any other woman would. Bold move on your part."

Brandy looks like she wants to protest but Annabeth continues on before she can. "Any other guy in this room is fair game; hell, you can take home two at once for all I care. But Nico is off limits. So back off."

"Look if you're trying to intimidate me-"

"Oh, I'm not trying to intimidate you," Annabeth counters easily. "I'm just telling you it would be in your best interest to walk away right now and not look back. Things may get messy if you don't."

A cold, ugly look crosses the girl's face. "I thought you said you two weren't dating."

"We're not," Annabeth says simply with a shrug. "But that's hardly any of your business now, is it?"

Brandy just rolls her eyes and sneers. "God, what are you, his mother or something?"

"Or something," Annabeth allows calmly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now I suggest you move along and find someone else to talk to for the rest of the evening."

Brandy quirks an eyebrow just slightly. "And if I don't?"

"Then I can't say I'll be held responsible for my next course of action," The daughter of Athena replies evenly, fixing the girl across from her with a glare that could melt through solid steel. A very slight look of fear crosses through the girl's eyes and Annabeth feels herself smile softly. "As I said, I believe its time for you to go."

Brandy huffs indignantly and scowls, standing up and grabbing her coat off the back of the chair. "Fine, I'm going. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

The girl rolled her eyes as she continues to gather her things. "You know, I really hope Nico is aware of just what kind of person you are. Acting like a psychotic bitch toward anyone who talks to him-"

There's a brief flash of silver and a heavy thud that resonates through and around the table. A startled silence fills the café and every person in the room turns toward the women's table. Brandy blinks in surprise and looks down to see both her sleeve and arm pinned to the table with a silver fork that's passed through her sleeve and embedded itself into the wood of the table. The silver tine is just barely touching the skin of her arm inside the sleeve, a clear indication of just how close it had come to passing through the skin instead. Brandy looks across the table at Annabeth in a mixture of surprise and fear; she'd never even seen her grab the fork and she didn't even know where it had come from.

Annabeth stands slowly, calmly, unfolding her body like a panther ready to pounce. She reaches across the table and grips the fork, tugging just slightly and freeing both it and Brandy's sleeve from the table. She drops it back on the table and fixes Brandy with an even glare and a razor-sharp, sweet smile. "Run along now, little lamb, before the wolves come out to play."

Brandy staggers away from the table in surprise, coat clutched tightly to her chest. She shakes her head in an expression that could be read as either fear or outrage before walking toward the door and disappearing outside without another word. Annabeth settles back down into her seat, picking up her coffee cup and taking a sip.

Nico returns a few seconds later, his shirt still staind but less vivid than it had been before. "Guess I'll have to toss it in the laundry when we get back," he comments offhandedly when he retakes his seat, looking around the table with a slight frown. "Where did Brandy go?"

"Oh, her date showed up after all." Annabeth tells him with a soft smile as she finishes her coffee. "Apparently he was just running a bit late."

"Oh, well that's good," Nico says with a smile, brushing a napkin over his shirt absently to soak up any lingering dampness. "I'm glad he was able to make it. She seemed like a really nice girl."

"Yeah, she seemed nice," Annabeth agrees with a dry smile. She grabs her coat off the back of the chair and stands slowly. A few of the patrons of the café are watching her a bit warily but Annabeth pays them no mind as she slips her coat on and flips her hair over the collar. Nico follows her example and grabs his jacket as well, slipping it on and buttoning it up in the front.

Once they're both sufficiently up to face the cold weather outside, Annabeth grabs Nico by the elbow, looping her arm through his and leading him toward the door. "Come on, Nico. I think there's an ice rink about a block from here; I'll teach you how to ice skate."


End file.
